Much-loved Tasmanian and international actor Essie Davis helped launch the Planning Matters Alliance Tasmania in July 2017 at the beautiful Brooke Street Larder on Hobart’s waterfront.

Essie is a multi-award winning actor who grew up on Hobart's eastern shore at Bellerive. She is best known for her leading role in the Australian film the Babadook and as Phryne Fisher in Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

Speaking to a large audience Ms Davis warned that if Hobart is to really flourish, as it is starting to, we need to absolutely protect and preserve what is unique about it.

Joining her were Sophie Underwood, Meg Webb from Anglicare and communications and brand expertGerard Castle.

The alliance is a growing network of more than 40 community groups from across Tasmania, united with a common concern over the weakening of the state’s planning laws. The Tasmanian Planning Scheme is set to come into effect in early 2018 and PMAT is committed to making it better.

The level of collaboration and solidarity emerging within this planning campaign and the groups involved is unprecedented in Tasmania and crosses community group genres.

Epitomised by the conflict over high rise hotels in Hobart, but equally relevant to our towns and backyards, our skylines, our coastlines, our heritage buildings and places and our wild and inspiring landscapes, the scheme will impact all the things we love about Tasmania.

Planning is vitally important to a wide cross section of the Tasmanian community. From a standing start, PMAT has put the issue on the agenda and made it an election issue.

On the 6 July, 2017, PMAT officially launched its platform statement - an outline of the key principles that we would like to see in Tasmania’s planning System.